Band Wars
by Two-Bits
Summary: There's a dance at school, and a band competition to go along with it! Capricorn Rhyming is going to try their shot at winning, and maybe at a little boy interest, too!
1. Practice

Two-Bits squealed, happily, flopping onto her bed. She'd been doing things like that ever since the end of Christmas break, and her friends were starting to worry. Normally, Two-Bits despised school with a passion, and never said anything remotely nice until fourth period, but she'd been all happy-go-lucky, nicey, sickeningly-sweet-to-the-point-of-annoyance since the beginning of the year.

…Which wasn't very impressive, considering today was the fourth.

For Christmas, Two-Bits hadn't gotten a lot. Some new clothes, a couple books here and there, and a poster of Newfound Glory. But she had gotten an electric guitar.

Brilliant sapphire blue, shiny, made of solid basswood, not plywood with a maple neck and a rosewood fingerboard…A Dean Cadillac X. She was one happy little guitarist.

Poor Two-Bits had been playing on a beat up guitar she had borrowed from her guitar teacher, since she was a rock girl, lead guitarist in her band, and all she had was an acoustic. It was sad.

But now she had her Dean, which she had fondly named James, because that was her favorite name (courtesy of Harry Potter). She had been upbeat for the past day-and-a-half, and her friends were on the point of strangling her.

Strumming a chord, experimentally, she squirmed with pleasure, and then began picking out a tune.

I spend my days

Figurin' all the ways

To weasel in and out

Of this crazy little town

An alley here

A ladder there

I know these streets

Like I know the fare

Of the bus that comes by

Two bucks for a ride?

That's insane, but I don't waver

The street is my savior

I never have to pay

'Cause there's never a day

When I get lost in this crazy town

'Cause I'm streetwise

That's what I said

And I'm never going down

You think you know this place?

You tell it to my face!

I'll show you how it's done

Not a soul can outrun

The master's feet

'Cause I rule the streets

It's a crazy world out there

But if you know the ropes

On every brick you, thrive

In this big city

You might survive

"What's this?" came a cheerful voice. "A new song?" Two-Bits grinned, sheepishly, as her best friend, Dodger, came into the room.

"Yeah, you caught me. What do you think?" Dodger grinned and pulled the drumsticks out of her back pocket.

"I like it. Just needs the finishing touches." Two-Bits smirked.

"Like an awesome drum solo, bass, and a chorus?" Dodger grinned, happily.

"Yeah, something like that. What're you gonna call it?" Two-Bits shrugged.

"Eh, something along the lines of 'Streetwise.'" Dodger grinned.

"That's a nice title: Something Along the Lines of Streetwise. But the disk jockey's will have a hard time saying it really fast." Two-Bits rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, well, they'll have to suck it up," she said, switching to an Irish accent. Dodger snickered.

"It is so weird how you do that!" Two-Bits rolled her eyes.

"Are the others coming?" she asked, returning to 'her baby.'

"Yeah. You did say band practice today. Boomerang called me while I was on the way here. She said her mom's sending her to the store, and then she'll be over."

"M'kay. That won't take long. We can figure out this beat while she's gone. What about Jenny?"

"I dunno. I haven't talked to her." As if on cue, the phone rang. Two-Bits snatched it up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Bits. It's Jenny."

"Ah, we were just wondering if you were coming," Two-Bits said, rolling onto her stomach.

"Yeah. I'm on my way. I was coming here from Cyrus's place, but my pick snapped in half—"

"I'm not surprised. You've used the same pick for two years!" Two-Bits interjected.

"Yeah, well, I had to stop by home to get another one. So I'll be at your house in five minutes."

"Okay, see you later."

She hung up, and the two friends began picking through the song, trying to figure out a beat, while they waited for their bassist and their second guitarist.

Two-Bits, Dodger, Boomerang, and Jenny had their own band. They were pretty well-known at school, and for good reason. They were good. They had started their band a year ago, but all four had been playing for a long time. Two-Bits and Jenny had been playing guitar since they were fourteen, Dodger had been playing drums since she was eleven, and Boomerang had started bass at fifteen. Since Dodger couldn't sing to save her life, and Jenny refused to, Boomerang served as back-up singer for Two-Bits.

"Good morning, Capricorn Rhyming!" came a new voice. Dodger and Two-Bits turned to see their bassist, Boomerang, come into the room, her guitar bag slung over one shoulder.

"Boomer…It's four o'clock. Hardly morning," Two-Bits pointed out, smirking. Boomer rolled her eyes.

"Not the point. The point is…" She paused. "I don't have a point." Dodger laughed.

"When do you ever have a point?" called Jenny, stepping into the room. Boomer grinned and unzipped her bag.

"Never. Now, are we going to practice, or what?" Two-Bits nodded, and stood up.

"Come, Robin—To the Batcave!" Boomer said, jubilantly, leaping down the stairs to the garage, where they held their practice. Yes, they were the classic garage band.

"Okay, how 'bout Firebolt Escape? I like that one," Dodger suggested, pounding out a beat on her drums. Dodger lived next door to Two-Bits, and she didn't have a garage, so she kept her drum set in Two-Bits's garage instead.

"Yeah, sounds good." Boomer started with a rhythmic bass beat, and after a minute, Two-Bits played a riff over her. Then she burst into song, one that she had written, having just finished another teen-angst chapter of Harry Potter.

There was a time when

My life seemed so perfect

And everything was just as I planned

It was all under control

Nothing ever changed…

And then it hit

Like a ton of bricks

So much worry and fear

How it pained me

To see my mother's tears

But you were there for me

You took me away from my hurt

And I followed you

Till the ends of the earth

Firebolt escape

Fly with my arms stretched to the heavens

I'll fly away

From the darkness and the pain

You took me to a place

Like nowhere else before

And I saw beauty in this world

And so much more…

I saw angels spread their wings

I saw every little thing

That could make this

Worth living for…

Firebolt escape

Fly with my arms stretched to the heavens

I'll fly away

From the darkness and the pain

And I shall not rest until I've reached

A world of unicorns and pegasi

And magic like no one has seen…

And I will dance with the angels

Sing with the Selkies

Spin in a world that is new,

That is free to me

On my Firebolt escape…

"Did you know that the drums are considered an instrument of the devil?" Two-Bits said, randomly, tuning one of her strings.

"Um…no…"

"HA! No wonder Dodger plays the drums! She's the DEVIL CHILD!" Boomer cried, jubilantly.

"I thought Sarah already decided you were the spawn of evil," Two-Bits pointed out.

"Yeah, well, Sarah's a pansy. No offense," she added, glancing at Dodger. Dodger was Sarah's step-sister. She wrinkled her nose.

"None taken. Can you believe her? She listens to…dare I say it…the Simpson sisters…" All four girls shuddered, compulsively.

"I hate them," Jenny said, nonchalantly, adjusting her guitar strap.

"So does the entire punk/rock culture." Two-Bits sat down on a stool and surveyed the rest of the band.

"Okay, so which songs are we going to do for The War?" She was actually referring to their school dance, which doubled as a band competition.

"Well," Jenny said, thoughtfully. "We only have three—"

"Four," Dodger interrupted. "Two-Bits wrote a new song this afternoon. But we haven't figured out the bass yet. Wanna play it?" Two-Bits shrugged.

"Sure thing," she said, and quickly played the song. Jenny and Boomerang seemed satisfied.

"That's awesome!" they exclaimed in unison.

"Yeah. We've still got two weeks, so we can figure out the rest of the stuff for it. Anyway, we can play that…"

"What about Untouched World?" Jenny mused. "You know, as our slow song, for the sap-happy couples." There was a murmur of agreement.

"We'll have to get my keyboard set up, but sure," Two-Bits said. "The other two songs aren't very…I dunno…"

"We should probably just play a few of the classics. You know, Clash, Chili Peppers, U2…Those songs," Dodger said. "People like that stuff."

"And some new stuff, too. Newfound Glory, Green Day, Three Days Grace…We could play I Hate Everything About You!" Boomer said, excitedly.

"I—" Chord "—Hate—" Chord "Everything about you!" Two-Bits sang. "I love that song…"

"Of course, we have to play The Outcast," Jenny said, referring to Dropkick Murphy's song. "That's our signature song." Boomerang, who was fond—ahem—of Good Charlotte, piped up.

"OOH! Can we play Predictable?"

"AND I JUST WANNA LIVE!" Two-Bits added. She was also fond—ahem—of Good Charlotte.

"I just wanna live is too…pop-ish," Jenny said, wrinkling her nose.

"But it's SO funny! But you're right. It would completely ruin our reputation. But Predictable is good."

"Yeah, it is. How 'bout London Calling, Untouched World, The Outcast, your new song, I Hate Everything About You, Predictable, and American Idiot. That's a fun one," Dodger suggested. The rest nodded in agreement.

"We'll have to 'beep' out American Idiot, though," Jenny pointed out. Boomerang shrugged. "Eh…Just one word. They won't kill us if we say it."

"Okay. Let's run through those, and then we can grab pizza at the mall," Dodger suggested, before slamming out the riff for American Idiot.


	2. Malltime

Thanks to Jacky Higgins for BETA-ing!

Everyone who CCed is in. Don't be surprised if I start sending emails.

ATTENTION: Anyone who CCed in the first chapter, please send me an email with some good songs that you'd want to sing! Also, the CC IS CLOSED!

* * *

"SMARTY! How's my favorite little Smart Girl?" Two-Bits joked, wrapping an arm around her waist. Michelle, or Smart Girl, grinned down at her. At five feet, Two-Bits was exactly six inches shorter than Smarty.

"How's my favorite little dumb girl?" Smarty teased. Two-Bits scoffed.

"I'll have you know that _I_ am an _honor student!_" she replied. Smart Girl chuckled. It was quite the boast considering who she was talking to.

"_Barely_," she replied. Two-Bits scoffed.

"I have an 'A' in band," she pointed out.

"And I have an 'A' in everything else. What's your point?" she shot back. Two-Bits opened her mouth to respond, then ducked her head.

"Burned…So, where're the rest of the V's?" she asked, switching topics as she led Smart Girl to the table where Boomerang, Dodger, and Jenny were circling a large pepperoni pizza like a pack of hungry wolves.

"Got you your float," Dodger said as they sat down. Smart Girl grabbed it and took a swig before answering Two-Bits' question.

"_Don't_ call them the V's. Anyway, Barlin and Cat should be here soon; we're shopping for outfits for the dance. Shadow said she might not be able to make it," she explained. Two-Bits jerked the float out of reach before she could snatch it away again.

Smart Girl was guitarist and back up singer for Vertigo, another four-person band they were competing against. Barlin played the drums, Cat played guitar and was lead singer, while Shadow played bass. Technically, Vertigo and Capricorn Rhyming were rivals in the Band War, but no competition really showed between them, or any of the other girl-bands that were participating.

The _real_ competition in Capricorn's eyes (and pretty much everyone else's) was between Capricorn Rhyming and The Preventionists.

The Preventionists were a punk-rock band of all guys, and they had an ongoing, a less-than-friendly rivalry, particularly between Boomerang and Kid Blink, The Preventionists lead singer. The two had never been on brilliantly friendly terms mostly because of Kid Blink's habit of being flirtatious to the point of obnoxious. He had always had his eye on Boomerang, but Boomerang was just too blind to see it. Instead she assumed he just flirted with everyone. Needless to say, this pissed her off. When the two bands formed, it was an excuse for competition. It was a chance to see who was better.

And they took that chance.

For three years, neither band had won the competition. Another band had beat them out each year, which was incentive for them to work harder. The mentioned band graduated last year, all but their drummer, and so Capricorn and The Preventionists were back in the running.

"Hey!" Smart Girl called. She waved to Barlin and Cat, then turned back to Jenny, Boomerang, Dodger, and Two-Bits. "Hey, I'll catch you guys later. Bye!" She jumped up and hurried off, greeting Barlin and Cat with, "Is Shadow coming?"

"So…" Dodger trailed off and turned her gaze to Boomerang, who was demolishing her slice of pizza. "So, how's Blinky-boy, eh?" Boomerang stared at her in mid-bite.

"Huh?" she demanded, lowering the pizza slice. Dodger picked a pepperoni off of her own slice, ate it, and then explained.

"When was the last time you saw him?" Boomer frowned, glaring pointedly at her three best friends.

"Like, a billion years ago. _Why_ would I pay attention to the last time I saw Kid Blink?" she demanded. Jenny, Dodger, and Two-Bits all exchanged knowing looks.

"Oh, I dunno…Just wondering…" Jenny said, delicately. Boomerang took a defiant bite of pizza and glared at her.

"Well, I don't remember," she replied. Two-Bits opened her mouth to protest, but a new voice interrupted.

"Ready to get creamed, ladies?"


	3. Halo 2

Shoutouts!

Lil Irish QT: AHA! Surprise, surprise!

BoomerRang: ...Riiigghhhtt...

Slightly: -mutters- Freak...

allaboutelephants22: Aha. I wonder what'll happen next, too.

Nosilla: Fear not, dear Nozzy! For you are in this! ...Somewhere...

Slightly: Yeah. Over the bloody rainbow.

Be nice.

Unknown-Dreams: That's what YOU think!

My Dog Ate My Penname: Hmm...Out Tongiht...Interesting...

Slightly: You don't have a clue who that's by, do you?

-is guilty-

Kid Blink's Dreamer: You're in! But what's your email? All it said was asadlier -blank-

* * *

"Not on your life," Two-Bits replied, not even bothering to turn around. The speaker was Kid Blink, blonde-haired, blue-eyed and cocky as ever. Boomerang lifted her gaze barely enough to glare at him, before continuing to eat her pizza.

"Well, you're going to have to suck it up, because you're gonna get creamed, whipped, and put on top of strawberries," Kid Blink said. The four girls stared at each other, exchanging the 'I-can't-believe-he-just-said-that' glance.

"Blink…Don't ever say that again," Racetrack, The Preventionists' drummer, said, clapping a hand on his shoulder. Blink looked confused.

"Why?" Boomerang rolled her eyes.

"Because you sound like an idiot," she snapped. "Now go away so we can eat." Kid Blink opened his mouth, but Racetrack dragged him away to where Jack Kelly and Skittery were sitting, the final members of The Preventionists. "Idiot…"

Dodger, Jenny, and Two-Bits glanced at each other and continued eating their pizza. Boomer was either really oblivious, or really in denial.

"So, we gonna stick around and do some shopping?" Jenny asked when the girls had finished their pizza. Two-Bits groaned, but everyone else was up for it.

"All right, you guys go wherever," she said. "I'm gonna go check out video games." Capricorn Rhyming parted, promising to meet back at the food court in an hour.

"Halo 2!" Two-Bits exclaimed to herself, spotting the large cardboard stand-up advertising said game.

"I've been dying to get that, but everywhere was sold out!" Two-Bits turned to see Racetrack standing next to her. She chuckled.

"I don't even have an XBox. I use Dodger's," she said, gazing wistfully at Halo 2. Racetrack laughed.

"Well, I'm gonna get it, so you can come over whenever you like, and we'll play Halo 2." She raised her eyebrows, then said, "Sure."

Wondering what happened, Two-Bits continued to browse the game, elected two for PS2, and bought them. Then she went off in search of her bandmates.

"I just got invited to play Halo 2 at Racetrack's house," she announced, rather confused, to Jenny, who was deciding between two American Eagle tee shirts. Jenny looked up in surprise.

"_Racetrack_ Racetrack? As in, Preventionalists Racetrack?" she asked. Two-Bits rolled her eyes.

"What _other_ Racetrack do we know?" she asked rhetorically. Jenny frowned.

"That's kinda' odd…" Two-Bits snorted.

"'Cause that's not the understatement of the year."


End file.
